Racquets for tennis, badminton, squash or like game



SePf- 14, 1965 J. R. LACOSTE 3,206,204

RACQvUETS FOR TENNIS, BADMINTON, SQUASH 0R LIKE GAME Filed June 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iwan/NL RNcQUEIs Fon TENNIS, BADMINTON, sQuAsN oR LIKE GANE Filed June 1o, 1963 Sept. 14, 1965 J. R. LACOSTE 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

United States Patent O 3,206,204 RACQUETS FOR TENNIS, BADMINTON, SQUASH OR LIKE GAME .lean R. Lacoste, 1 Ave. du Marechal Maunoury, Paris, France Filed June 10, 1963, Sel'. No. 286,749

Claims priority, application France, June 19, 1962,

901,299 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-75) This invention relates to racquets for tennis or like games.

Racquets .are known which have a frame made of a shaped tube, usually metallic, suitably bent and stayed and having elongations of the tube forming the frame eX- tending, substantially parallel, from it, `on to which a handle may be fixed.

It is the object of this invention to provide improvements in such handles.

According to this invention I provide a racquet of the kind -described for tennis, badminton, squash or a like game having a handle formed of two casings having projections engaged between rthe elongations. Preferably the casings are made of a synthetic resin. A particular embodiment of the invention, as a tennis racquet, will now be described wit-h vreference to the accompanying draw- 'ings wherein:

FIGURE l is a plan View of the elongations of the frame destined to bear the handle of the racquet.

FIGURE 2 is `a section on the line II-II of FIGURE 1.

FIGUR-E 3 is a plan view of a `casing used in the formation of the handle.

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of FIG- URE 3.

FIGUR-E 5 is a side elevation of the handle after the casings have been put into place.

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of FIG- URE 5.

`FIGURE 7 is :a side view of the handle provided with its sheath.

FIGURES 8 and 9 are sections on the lines VIII-VIII and JX-IX respectively of FIGURE 7.

Referring to the drawings, the elongations 2 and 3 `are from the frame (not shown) of a tennis racquet of the kind formed Iby the bending of a single shaped metal tube so that the ends of the tube are elongations 2 and 3, and the frame of the stringed area is formed by the bent portion of tube intermediate these ends. The portion of frame between the roots of the elongations, forming `the lbase or handle-end of the playing area, is formed by a stay welded or otherwise secured across the gap between the roots of the elongations. The elongations are joined at their free ends by a ybrace 4 made from a length of tube of substantially rectangular cross section whose lateral faces S land 6 have a shape complementary to that of the walls of the shaped tube which forms the elongations `2, 3. The free ends `are secured to the brace 4 by any `suitable means.

A second stay, either similar to the rst or in this eX- yample, inthe form of an arc as shown at 7, FIGURE 1, is `fixed between the elongations at the base of the heart ltot the racquet.

The handle of the racquet is formed from two identical casings 8 joined together, one on each side of the end and middle :of the elongations as is best seen in FIGURE 5. Each casing 8 consists of a main body of trapezoidal cross section which ends at its base in an enlarged boss 9 Vand a transverse wall 10. At a cer-tain distance from the rwall 10 substantially (at the same distance away as the length of the stay 4) the casing has a transverse rib 11 of a form and wide enough to `tit between the elonga- ICC tions 2 and 3 as can be seen in FIGURE 6. The casings 8 tend to be held in place by the wa-ll 10 and the rib 11 enclosing the stay 4 (FIGURE 5).

Other ribs 12, similar to rib '1i1, are provided in the central part and near the other end 1G of the -oasings (see FIGURES 3 :and 4). This other end 13 is preferably obliquely anvled or .ogival so as to ensure gradual joining up with the line of the elongations 2, 3.

The casings 8 are secured about the elongations by a sheath 14 made in the conventional way of a strapping of a 4strip of leather or 4simi-lar material, An end, 16, Iof the strapping is iirst wound almost completely round the ends ot the elongations 2, 3 .and .stay 4 as shown in FIG- URE 9. The casings 8 are placed on either side of the elongations, and the strapping of the sheath brought to the outside of the handle by being passe-d between them as at 1:6 (FIGURE 7). The strapping is then wound tightly round and round the casings 8 moving successively `up towards the top ends 13 at each turn .and overlapping at each lower edge (FIGURE 7). When the position `15, FIGURE 7, is reached, the end portion of the strapping is slid down between one casing 8 and the elon- -gations and the extreme end tucked between the other casing and the elongations, as shown in FIGURE 8. The sheath is `thus secured at its ends 15, 16 by being wedged between the two casings 8 in the manner shown -in FIGURES 7 to 9, when the tension of the sheath jams the casings 8 together and makes the ends of the sheaths fast .by holding them between the oasings 8 `and the elongations 2, 3. The sheath 14 also jams the elongations 2 and 3 against the ribs 12 and this has the result of suppressing vibrations in the elongations 2 and 3.

The preferred material for the casings is ,a synthetic resin, for example a polyamide.

What I claim is:

i1. In a racquet for tennis, badminton, squash and like games, the improvement consisting of substantially parallel elongations extending from the frame, a brace, two casings each having at least two transverse projections, the brace being secured between the elongations and the casings being secured about the elongations and retained in position longitudinally of the elongations by the brace being interposed between two neighboring transverse projections, one of said transverse projections on each of the casings being an end Wall .of the casing.

`2. A racquet according to cliahn =1, wherein said elongatons are of substantially ligure of eig-ht cross-section, said brace being constituted by a tubular piece inserted between said extensions and having lateral faces the shape of which is complementary to the shape `oi the corresponding walls of said extensions.

3. A racquet according to claim -1, wherein said casings are secured in position by means of a strip of ilexible material wound helically around them, the ends `ol said strip being `secured by being passed between the casings `and the elongations.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,524,826 2/25 .Icke et al. 273-73 1,730,820 10/29 Holden 16-1216 X 2,918,741 12/52 Welter et al. 116-111 X 2,753,186 7/5'6 Kleinman 273-75 3,086,777 4/ 63 Lacoste 273-73 FOREIGN PATENTS 219,535 7/24 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHA-M, Primary Examiner.

DEL'BERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

1. IN A RACQUET FOR TENNIS, BADMINTON, SQUASH AND LIKE GAMES, THE IMPROVEMENT CONSISTING OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ELONGATIONS EXTENDING FROM THE FRAME, A BRACE, TWO CASTINGS EACH HAVING AT LEAST TWO TRANSVERSE PROJECTIONS, THE BRACE BEING SECURED BETWEEN THE ELONGATIONS AND THE CASTINGS BEING SECURED ABOUT THE ELONGATIONS AND RETAINED IN POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF THE ELONGATIONS BY THE BRACE BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORING TRANSVERSE PROJECTIONS, ONE OF SAID TRANSVERSE PROJECTIONS ON EACH OF THE 